


Dinner Date

by my_mad_fatuation



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blind Date, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 11:02:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11622204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_mad_fatuation/pseuds/my_mad_fatuation
Summary: Rae, Chloe, and Izzy are contestants on "Dinner Date" and Finn has to choose which of the three of them he wants to see for another meal after each of them cooks for him.





	Dinner Date

**Author's Note:**

> I watched a bunch of episodes of "Dinner Date" while I was in England a few weeks ago and it is terrible and I couldn't get enough of it.

“I’m going to go with menus one, three, and four,” Finn says, picking up each corresponding menu off the table in front of him.

The ladies to go with each menu—Izzy, Chloe, and Rae, respectively—will each get a chance to prepare a three-course meal for Finn, and at the end of the week he’ll choose one of them to take out for dinner that they don’t have to cook. The other two will get ready-meals for one.

***

First up is yoga instructor, Izzy, who will be making creamy avocado shrimp bites as a starter, followed by pan-seared trout with massaged kale salad, and a fresh fruit parfait for dessert.

“I chose this menu because it sounded healthy,” Finn explains. “Not that I’m the most health-conscious person, necessarily, but I have to stay in shape, as an actor, and it would probably be good for me to meet someone who’s into health and fitness as well.”

Izzy begins her preparations with dessert, slicing up fresh berries and layering them with yoghurt in large glasses. She puts them in the fridge as she moves onto the kale salad.

“You have to massage the kale with olive oil to help break it down and make it easier to eat,” she says as she rubs down the leafy greens. “And who doesn’t love a good massage?”

Next she deveins and cooks the shrimp for the starter, placing each one onto an avocado-topped cucumber slice before sticking them in the fridge as well. She’ll cook the trout when it’s time to eat.

“Now all I have to do is get myself ready,” she says.

She’d better hurry; Finn is on his way.

He knocks on the heavy wooden door and smiles when Izzy answers. “Hi, I’m Finn,” he says as she lets him into the house.

“I’m Izzy,” she replies when he goes in to kiss her cheek. “Nice to meet you.”

She leads him into her dining room and invites him to take a seat before pouring water into a couple of glasses.

“I made lemon water, because I don’t drink alcohol,” she explains.

“That’s perfect, thanks,” he says, taking the glass she offers him.

“So what do you do, Finn?” she asks as she sits down.

“I’m an actor, actually.” He takes an anxious sip from his glass, like he knows what question is coming next.

“Wow. Would I have seen you in anything?”

“Erm, I mostly just do adverts and background stuff, so I doubt it,” he says with nervous laughter. “What do you do, anyway?”

“I’m a yoga instructor,” she replies.

“Oh, cool,” he says. “I figured you were probably into health and fitness stuff, based on the menu.”

“I believe in overall wellness,” she clarifies. “Mind, body, soul.”

“Of course, me too.” He takes another sip of water.

“Should I bring out the starter?” she suggests after neither of them have said anything for a few moments.

“Absolutely.”

Izzy smiles courteously and gets up to go to the kitchen.

“She seems nice,” says Finn once she’s gone. “I hope I didn’t offend her by my choice of words, though.”

“I don’t know yet,” she says in the kitchen as she pulls the shrimp out of the fridge. “I think he’s a bit nervous, but I’m sure he’ll open up a bit more as the night progresses.”

“I also worry that he’s maybe a bit… vain,” she adds, plating the starters carefully. “It’s hard to tell after five minutes, but he’s an actor, so… We’ll see.”

She carries the plates out to the dining room and sets them on the table.

“Bon appetit,” she says, taking her seat again.

“Wow, this looks great,” he says. He eats a whole shrimp-bite in one mouthful. “Tastes great, too.”

“So, did you always want to be an actor?” Izzy asks when their plates are nearly empty.

“I really wanted to be a firefighter when I was young,” says Finn after swallowing another bite. “Until I realized I was terrified of fire.”

“That could be an issue,” she says with a laugh.

She excuses herself to go cook the trout after the starters are finished.

“I think it’s going well,” he says while she’s in the kitchen. “Hopefully I’m not making too much of an ass of myself.”

“I think he’s relaxed a little, so I’m having a good time talking to him,” she says as she flips a large fillet of trout in a pan. “I don’t think he’s necessarily my type, but I can see us becoming friends.”

She plates up the fish and salad and brings them out to the dining room.

“Where did you learn to cook like this?” Finn asks when she sets his dinner in front of him.

“I just picked it up here and there,” she says. “It’s not nearly as complicated as it seems.”

“You’re lucky that I’m not the one cooking for you.”

She chuckles politely and tucks into her meal.

“That was fantastic,” he says once his plate is empty.

“Ready for dessert?” she asks, picking up their dishes.

“I think I can tackle it, yes.”

Izzy returns shortly with the fruit parfaits. Finn puts a spoonful in his mouth and makes a sour expression.

“Is this yoghurt?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“I was expecting cream, that’s all,” he laughs.

Uh-oh, looks like the parfaits aren’t as “parfait” as he had hoped.

“It’s still good, though,” he adds, taking another bite.

After dessert, Izzy walks Finn to the front door.

“Thank you very much for dinner, it was delicious,” he says.

“Thank you for coming over,” she replies. “I had fun.”

“Me too. Hope to see you soon.” He kisses beside her cheek again.

“Same,” she says. “Goodnight, Finn.”

She shuts the front door as he gets into his cab and drives away.

“Yeah, she was really cute,” he says. “Maybe a little serious for me; that dinner was extremely healthy. It was good, but I don’t know if I could do that every night.”

“I didn’t really feel a connection there,” says Izzy. “He’s a nice enough guy and all, but there wasn’t a spark, you know? Still, I’d go out with him again, because you never know.”

“But since he didn’t really do it for me,” she continues, “I’m going to give him two out of three stars.”

Izzy’s yogurt parfait proved to Finn a shocker, yet his nice guy antics weren’t enough to rock her.

***

Next up to bat, part-time model, Chloe, is preparing for Finn a slap-up three-course meal. She’ll start with a beautiful bruschetta, a lovely lemon chicken as the main, and an exquisite Eton mess for dessert.

“The reason I chose this menu,” Finn begins, “is because the words she used led me to believe she works in the fashion or beauty industry, maybe as a model.”

Good guess.

“I know that models have this reputation for being shallow,” he continues, “but any that I’ve met and worked with have been really nice.”

“I got into modeling when I was nineteen,” Chloe explains as she preps the lemon sauce for her chicken. “So I was a little late to start, which is probably why I haven’t quite ‘made it’ yet.”

She eyes the raw chicken on the cutting board with distaste. “Do I have to touch that?” she says.

Once the chicken is in the oven, she starts on her meringue. She whips egg whites and sugar to soft peaks.

“Am I supposed to hold it over my head?” She examines the mixture in the bowl. “No, I’m not doing that.”

Once her whipped whites are on a baking sheet, she stops in front of the oven.

“Oh ****, I have the chicken in there, and it’s at a way higher temperature,” she says. She ponders for a minute, and then adds, “I’ll just put the meringue in for less time. That should work.”

She moves onto the starter, slicing off rounds of a French baguette.

French? Isn’t bruschetta Italian?

Nonetheless, she adds the tomato mixture—from a jar—to the tops of the rounds.

“I don’t have time to toast the baguette,” she says frantically. “I have to get ready. My hair’s not even done!”

Get it done quick; Finn’s about to arrive.

Finn rings the doorbell, grinning when Chloe opens the door. “Hi, I’m Finn,” he says, taking a step towards her to kiss her cheek.

“Hi, Finn, I’m Chloe,” she replies, squeezing his shoulders.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Come on in.” She leads him into her lounge and hands him a glass of wine that she’s already poured for him. “Have a seat.”

He sits down on the sofa with his glass in hand and takes a sip. His nose wrinkles, but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“What is it you do, Chloe?” he asks her, setting his glass on the table.

“Guess,” she replies coyly.

“Well, based on your menu, I was going to guess that you might be a model or something—”

She swats him playfully on the arm. “No way! You’re so clever!”

“Am I right?”

“You are!”

He smiles and looks her up and down. “You look like a model.”

“Oh, thanks,” she says with a shy laugh. “So do you.”

“I’m an actor, actually.”

“Really? I’d love to get into acting.”

“That’s cool.”

“Maybe you’ll let me probe you a bit tonight,” she says, taking a sip of wine. “And also ask you some questions.”

Finn’s eyelids flare open as Chloe laughs loudly at her own joke.

“I’m just teasing you,” she adds when she sees the look on his face. “Shall I get the starter out?”

“Yes, please,” he says with a chuckle.

She gets up and heads into the kitchen to fetch the bruschetta.

“She is… something,” he says when she’s out of earshot. “She’s beautiful, obviously, and I can tell she’s going to be a lot of fun to talk to. She doesn’t have the best taste in wine, though, but that’s not a big deal.”

“He is so fit,” says Chloe as she plates up the starter. “I honestly can’t believe how ****ing gorgeous he is.”

“Oh my god!” She stops what she’s while doing holding a piece of bruschetta mid-air. “I can’t even remember his name! Was it Sean?”

Meanwhile _, Finn_ waits patiently for her to return with the food.

“Mm, looks good,” he says as he walks over to the dining table in the corner of the room where she sets down the plates.

He takes a bite of one of the pieces of bruschetta once he sits down, and frowns. “I wasn’t, erm, expecting it to be so cold.”

“Oh yeah,” she says. “I ran out of time. Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s fine,” he adds, taking another bite.

Neither of them manage to finish the food on their plates, but it’s clear that the course is over, so Chloe gets up to bring out the chicken.

“I didn’t expect the sauce to be so watery,” she says as she pours the extra lemon sauce over the cooked chicken. “Should I have made a side with this? I don’t know; I never cook.”

She brings out the lonely chicken breasts and sets them on the table. “Dig in,” she says.

Finn pokes at the chicken warily with his cutlery, trying to cut a piece out of it. He takes a bite and purses his lips, like he’s trying to force himself to chew and swallow.

“It’s a bit… sour,” he says once he gets it down, though he’s smiling.

She nods in agreement. “I may have put in too much lemon. I didn’t measure it.”

“Maybe a tad.”

“Should we just skip to dessert?” she suggests.

When she gets to the kitchen, she examines her meringue. It is clearly burnt.

“I’ll just put extra cream on it and he’ll never know,” she says as she starts to layer up the dessert into two bowls.

She returns shortly with the dessert and places one of the bowls in front of Finn.

“Looks delicious,” he says as he picks up his spoon.

She watches him intently as he takes his first bite. “What do you think?”

He gives her thumbs up because his mouth is full. She smiles and scoops up a little bit of cream and berries for herself, skillfully avoiding the burnt meringue.

After dessert, Finn thanks Chloe for having him over for dinner and she walks him to the door.

“It was great to meet you,” she says to him.

“You, too,” he says as he gives her a friendly hug. “Take care.”

He gets into his cab as she shuts the door.

“She was fun,” he says once he’s on his way. “Very pretty, of course, and quite an… interesting sense of humour. Not the best cook, though.” He chuckles softly. “I had a good time, but there wasn’t really a spark there, you know?”

“I had such a good time with him,” says Chloe. “I feel like we really clicked, you know? There was a spark. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s an actor, since I’m trying to get into acting.”

“Yeah, I really liked him and would see him again,” she adds. “So I’ll give him two out of three stars.”

Finn thought that the two of them sort of got on, but does Chloe still think that his name is Sean?

***

Finn’s third meal will be cooked by novelist, Rae, who plans to win him over with a mini pizza starter, a perfectly prepared steak with garlic potatoes and grilled mushrooms, and a chocolate mousse.

“I picked this menu because it had all my favourites,” he says. “Pizza, steak and mushrooms, chocolate—you can’t go wrong with chocolate.”

“I imagine that she is someone who appreciates the simple things in life,” he continues. “But she recognizes and respects good quality. I’m like that.”

Rae begins her preparations with the dough for the mini pizza crusts. She combines the ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.

“I only said it would be homemade crust, not handmade crust,” she says with a laugh. “It’s not cheating.”

Next she gets her steaks out to rest before moving onto the potatoes.

“I don’t think I really have a type,” she adds as she peels cloves of garlic. “Physically, at least. I’m just looking for a guy who treats people well and can make me laugh.”

She prepares the chocolate mousse while the potatoes cook.

“You can’t go wrong with chocolate,” she says.

Once the food prep is complete, she goes to get herself ready. Which is handy, because Finn’s due any minute.

He knocks on the door to Rae’s flat and she answers shortly.

“Hi, I’m Finn,” he says, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

“I’m Rae,” she replies. “Nice to meet you.”

“And you.”

“Please, come on in.” She steps aside to let him in and shows him to the dining room. “Would you like something to drink?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” he says as he sits down.

Rae leaves to get drinks and returns shortly with two bottles of craft beer.

“Excellent, thank you,” he tells her when she hands him a bottle.

“So, Finn,” she begins, sitting across the table from him. “Tell me something about yourself.”

“Oh, well, I’m an actor—”

“Something interesting,” she cuts in.

“Okay, erm, I’m double-jointed,” he says, smiling a little.

“Ew,” she replies. “Show me.”

He chuckles and holds up his hand with his fingers bent at odd angles.

“That’s disgusting,” she says with a laugh.

“Hey, it comes in handy to be so dexterous, sometimes.”

“I’m sure it does.”

“What about you?” he asks. “Tell me something interesting.”

“I own what is possibly the world’s largest collection of spy novels,” she says before taking a sip of her beer.

“Why is that?”

“Because I write romance novels for a living, even though I can’t stand them, so I need something else to read to cleanse my palate.”

“You write romance novels?” he asks, raising his eyebrow.

“Yes, and yes,” she replies. “They are _that kind_ of romance novel.”

“But you said you can’t stand them,” he says. “So why do you write them?”

“The same reason you do your job; I’m good at it and there’s money,” she says with a shrug.

“I never said I was good at my job,” he laughs.

“Not a lot of roles for handsome, double-jointed men, huh?”

“Not the kind of roles I’m interested in, at least.”

Rae smiles and takes another drink. “Should I get the food out soon?”

“That’d be great.”

She heads to the kitchen to fetch the mini pizzas that are staying warm in the oven. “I’m not entirely sure what to think at this point,” she says as she gets plates from the cupboard. “At least he seems clever enough, but I worry that he’s too good-looking, if that makes sense. He doesn’t seem to have an ego about it so far, but we’ll see.”

“I find her… intriguing,” he says before she gets back from the kitchen. “She’s smart and funny and… different. I think I’m going to enjoy our chat tonight.”

Rae sets the starter in front of him when she returns and he nods approvingly.

“I love pizza,” he says. “But, I mean, who doesn’t?”

“I figured it was a pretty safe bet,” she says.

“Is that your secret?” he asks. “Did you stack your deck with crowd-pleasers in hopes of winning me over?”

“Uh-oh, got me,” she says sarcastically.

“It’s working,” he says after taking a bite.

“Honestly, I’d just rather have something classic done well than something fancy that is poorly executed.”

“I get it,” he says. “I’m the same way.”

“Wow, you finished quickly,” she adds once he’s cleared his plate.

“That’s not really something a guy likes to hear,” he says with a laugh.

She laughs as well. “Let’s hope you don’t hear it that often.”

Rae gets up and takes their plates to the kitchen, where she unwraps the foil around the steaks and plates them with potatoes and mushrooms.

“I was worried I may have overstepped with that joke,” he says, “but she seemed to think it was funny, so that’s a good sign.”

“Hope you like meat,” she says when she returns with the mains. “Because there’s lots of it.”

“Oh, I’m a big fan,” he replies as she places it in front of him. “Whoa, look at that,” he adds, slicing into his steak. “That is literally perfect.”

“I know,” she says, and pops a chunk of potato into her mouth.

“I feel like you’ve done this before,” he says. “The steak, I mean, not… _this_.” He gestures towards the cameras around them.

She looks like she’s trying not to laugh. “I don’t think you’re supposed to make reference to the fact that we’re being recorded.”

“My bad.” He smirks like he knows he’s done something wrong and takes another bite of his meal.

When he’s finished his steak and sides, Rae takes their plates back to the kitchen and brings out the chocolate mousse in two stem-less wine glasses.

Finn groans contentedly as he takes his first spoonful of mousse. “How are you so good at everything?” he asks.

“It’s a gift,” she says with a smile.

“If you’re this good at cooking, maybe you should switch professions,” he adds.

“I may be good at cooking, but I’m even better at writing porn,” she replies.

Finn nearly chokes on his dessert when he starts laughing. “I thought it was _romance_.”

“I just call a spade a spade.”

“Could I, er, read some?” he says, poking his spoon into the half-eaten glass of mousse.

She purses her lips like she’s contemplating it before getting up and heading to another room abruptly. When she returns, she hands him an open book. “Page thirty-four,” she says.

His eyes wide with delight, he takes the book and starts to read the page indicated. His expression turns to confusion, then shock, then amusement. “You wrote that?” he says as he hands it back.

“And that’s just page thirty-four,” she replies. “Imagine what’s on page two hundred.”

“I think you’re making me blush,” he laughs, lowering his head.

“That’s nothing,” she adds. “Entry-level bull****.”

“Good to know.”

After dessert, Rae escorts Finn to the front door, where he gives her a hug and kisses her on the cheek.

“I had a great time,” he says to her. “You’re very talented.”

“You don’t even know.”

He smiles genuinely at her. “Goodnight, Rae.”

When he gets back to his cab, he reveals his thoughts about the evening. “That was a lot of fun,” he says. “The food was top-notch, and the company was, well, not at all boring. Rae is definitely a lot of fun, and she has a dry sense of humour that I enjoy.”

“I feel like we really connected by the end, and I’d love to see her again,” he adds.

“That went better than I was expecting when he walked in,” she says. “He doesn’t take himself too seriously, which I like, and he wasn’t too scared off when I told him what I did for a living.”

“I think we had a good time and I’d be willing to see him again,” she continues, “so I’ll give him two out of three stars.”

Rae has a knack for writing romance, but was her dinner good enough for a second chance?

***

Finn has tried three different meals, but which one of them has him wanting seconds?

“I think Finn is really nice,” Izzy says as she combs through her hair with her fingers. “I hope he picks me because I think there’s definite friendship potential there.”

“Finn—that’s his name—is totally hot,” says Chloe, carefully applying mascara to her lashes. “I think we absolutely had something between us and I’m sure he’s going to pick me for dinner tonight.”

“I liked Finn, I think he was great,” Rae says while slipping a cardigan on. “It would be nice if he chose to see me again, because I think we could have a laugh, and maybe a few carefully chosen double-entendres along the way.”

Let’s see which one he picks, then!

A hand knocks on each of the women’s doors. First to open is…

Chloe. She looks down and sees a tray with a covered plate and a single serving of wine. She lifts the dome off the plate to reveal a ready-meal. Chicken parmigiana.

“Oh well,” she says as she picks up the tray. “I like Italian food, anyway.”

Like bruschetta, right, Chloe?

The next door that opens belongs to Izzy. She opens the door to find a similar tray, only hers contains a gluten-free lasagna.

“How did he know I’m gluten-intolerant?” she says when she lifts off the lid. “That’s very thoughtful, I’ll admit.”

Last to open the door is Rae, who finds not a ready-meal but Finn himself standing there.

“Would you like to go out for dinner with me?” he asks, holding out his arm.

“I would love to,” she replies, and takes it.

They get into the cab and she asks him why he chose to see her again.

“Your food was by far the best I’ve had in a long time,” he says. “And so was the company. You are a person of many talents, Rae.”

“Good answer.”

As they enjoy a meal out, the others enjoy their meals in, alone.

“It’s probably for the best,” says Izzy as she heats up hers in the microwave. “I hope he’s found someone he connects with better than we did.”

“I’m over it,” Chloe says. “I didn’t even fancy him that much, I just thought he might be able to help me get into acting.” She picks up a forkful of her dinner. “I mean, he’s not even that attractive.”

Meanwhile, Finn and Rae get to know each other better at the restaurant.

“I’ve never been to Scotland, actually,” he says, and she laughs.

“And you’ve lived here for how long? Twenty-odd years?”

“I know, I know. I hear it’s lovely—”

“It’s a hole,” she adds. “But a hole that you have to see. A pleasant hole.”

He tries to suppress a smile, but she sees it.

“Don’t even say it; it’s too easy,” she says, pointing at him with her fork.

“I think Rae is amazing,” he says once she’s stepped away for a moment. “And I think it helps that she wasn’t forced to cook for me tonight, so she can just relax and not worry about the food. She’s a lot of fun and I definitely hope to see more of her.”

“Finn’s not that bad, actually,” she says. “He’s even kind of funny, and he’s very nice to the wait staff, which is always a good sign. I’m glad he chose to see me again, and I hope to see more of him, too.”

***

_One month later…_

Izzy is seeing someone new.

Chloe is single.

Finn and Rae went out again…

…and they are still together.


End file.
